17:25 That’s it from an impossibly difficult Curragh card, it has been my first visit here and it has many similarities to Newmarket.

A full review of the course will be available on the site in the next few days.

Now to fight Dublin’s rush hour traffic as I head back to the airport.

Our next live coverage comes from the Newmarket festival starting on Thursday and on Sunday we will be in Paris for the Arc.

Meanwhile from The Curragh a very good afternoon

17:22 Favourite backers in the final race will have every reason to feel aggrieved as, following he good win earlier on, Mick Kinane rode a terrible ride on the favourite Ebashan who he allowed to drift from the centre to the unfavoured stands rail, without seemingly making any attempt to prevent the drift.

The fact that he only went down ¾ a length to the eventual winner Turfin Lady means he lost the race by more than he gave away by drifting.

Turfin Lady was produced down the favoured far side and was perhaps a fortunate winner for local trainer Tracey Collins, ridden by Pat Shanahan..

Third place went to the, at first glance, impossible to pronounce Izagonawin. (Although if you look carefully it is Is gone a win)

16:56 Well you can knock me down with a feather. A 24 runner apprentice handicap over the dogleg mile and, shock horror, a stand side winner in the shape of Ounooi, who came with a late run like a bat out of hell. Under Julie Burke in a brilliantly well timed run.

It looked as though top weight Alone He Stands had stolen the race with a good run on the favoured centre / far side, taking the lead inside the final furlong with Shesthebusicuit chasing him home.

16:26 With only eight runners going to post our sixth race ended up producing the most exciting finish of the afternoon – OK I know I said the same after the last race but that was half an hour ago.

The two involved in the finish were Patrick Flynn’s Prince Shaun and Kevin Prendergast’s Almass.

The lead changed several times in the final half furlong as both looked likely winners but in the end it was Almass in the Hamdan Al Maktoum colours.

The race also produced the tightest betting market of the afternoon with four of the field going off the 5/1 co-favourites, the winner being one of them.

Hard Rock City, who had led for the first five furlongs, finished third.

15:58 The seven furlong maiden actually provided our most exciting finish so far with a four way go just half a furlong from the line.

In the end it was Dermot Weld’s Grace O’Malley who was pushed out the strongest under Pat Smullen prevailing over Kiyra Wells by a neck.

1¼ lengths behind Lamzena Lady and Miss Keller were only a neck apart for third and fourth.

These four were certainly the best looking runners in the field and it would be no surprise to see any of them winning in future.

Fleurtation who was playing up going into the stalls pulled up after two furlongs with what looked to be a nasty leg injury.

15:25 I thought I was going to have problems with the fourth race as when they were going down the mist and rain returned, luckily both cleared in time so we were able to see the race from the stands.

It is not very original but the race followed the same style as the three previous events in the runners opted to come centre course and the event was won by a running on winner, this time Vitruvian Man, trained by John Oxx and ridden by veteran Mick Kinane. The one difference from the earlier races is the winner was sent off the odds on favourite.
It has to be said the winner won in the style of a good horse and it looks as though Mr Oxx may have a nice little colt.

15:00 My brain hurts – yet another large field six furlong handicap, at least there were only 24 going to post this side and once again the action was centre course.

Also once again we had a long priced winner, this time in the shape of First In Command, who won in almost the same style as the first, running on well after being handily placed and never looking to be in any danger.

Dedo was the one who tried to challenge but he never got within touching distance of the winner.
The “excitement” came in sorting out the minor honours where the judge gave the call to Zhukhov over Fourpenny Lane by a short head.

14:27 Another big field cavalry charge for our second race and from the divots being thrown up it is clear the ground is on the soft side.

It is also clear that the best place to be is centre /far side as this is where the action has been in both our races so far.

As would be expected in a handicap the field was closely bunched throughout and the finishing distances were much closer than in the first.

Come the point where it matters it was Toasted Special who had the first run and despite the best efforts of runner up Harriers Call he was never able to trouble the winner.

Willoughby Bay and Napoleon Dynamite took the minor honours.

14:00 After the rain the going is now Soft

13:55 If we thought yesterdays races at Windsor were difficult then they were easy compared with today’s heats here at The Curragh.

A 30 runner two-year-old maiden to get us underway and Ballydoyle’s Four Star General was sent off the well backed 9/4 favourite. Johnny Murtagh had the colt handily placed and even possibly edged the lead two out.

However Flame Of Ireland under Fran Berry had the favourites measure and, once taking up the running inside the final furlong, never looked to be in any danger.

12:50 Good afternoon from The Curragh where it reminds me of Wuthering Heights - a large mist shouded expanse, added to which it is pouring with rain. I perhaps should not say this but it always rains when I come racing in Ireland - they are going to ban me if I am not careful!!!

The official going is Yielding to Soft

Return to race archive:

Non-Runners

1:45
27 Smartest (Going)

2:15
9 Mr Smiley

2:45
6 Mary Josephine (lame)
15 Invincible Ash (Going)

4:15
1 Mojito Royale
4 Dohasa
5 Empirical Power

4:45
5 Monthly Medal
26 Mammy's Boy (Res)

5:15
21 Roshina

Results

1:45

1st 20 Flame Of Ireland 33/1
2nd 18 Dancing Bandit 9/2
3rd 6 Four Star General 9/4 fav
28 Ran NR 27 w/d 15
Distances 3 & 3/4
Fav Third
Tote
Win £13.50
Place £13.50 £2.00 £1.10 £6.00
Exacta £1151.00
CSF £174.16
Time 1' 16.86"

2:15

1st 8 Toasted Special 25/1
2nd 12 Harriers Call 14/1
3rd 16 Willoughby Bay 20/1
4th 20 Napoleon Dynamite 16/1
29 Ran NR 9
Distances 3/4 , 3/4 & 2 1/2
Fav 22 Desert Ben 10/1 (Upl)
Tote
Win £91.40
Place £13.70 £4.40 £5.40 £6.50
Exacta £443.20
CSF £347.87
Tricast £7.128.31
Time 1' 14.26"

2:45

1st 21 First In Command 16/1
2nd 7 Dedo 16/1
3rd 16 Zhukhov 14/1
4th 2 Fourpenny Lane 12/1
24 Ran NR's 6 & 15
Distances 1 1/2 , 1 3/4 & Short Head
Fav 22 Astonish 6/1 (Upl)
Tote
Win £31.00
Place £5.00 £5.70 £3.90 £4.20
Exacta £925.70
CSF £256.18
Tricast £3,752.08
Time 1' 14.31"

3:15

1st 13 Vitruvian Man 8/11 fav
2nd 1 Agricola 25/1
3rd 7 Mr Topaz 9/2
15 Ran
Distances 4 1/2 & 3/4
Fav Winner
Tote
Win £1.20
Place £1.30 £2.80 £1.60
Exacta £27.60
CSF £34.38
Time 1' 28.55"

3:45

1st 8 Grace O'Malley 12/1
2nd 10 Kiyra Wells 25/1
3rd 12 Lamzena Lady 4/1
19 Ran
Distances Head & 1 1/4
Fav 9 Jakarta Jazz 7/2 (Upl)
Tote
Win £17.00
Place £4.10 £5.90 £2.30 £4.80
Exacta £135.50
CSF £305.51
Time 1' 29.35"

4:15

1st 9 Almass 5/1 co fav
2nd 3 Prince Shaun 6/1
3rd 6 Hard Rock City 13/2
8 Ran NR's 1 , 4 & 5
Distances Neck & 3 1/2
Fav's at 5/1
Winner
2 Award Ceremony (6th)
7 Rain Rush (5th)
11 Emily Blake (4th)
Tote
Win £5.40
Place £2.50 £1.30 £2.40
Exacta £59.40
CSF £34.01
Time 1' 28.77"

4:45

1st 22 Ounooi 33/1
2nd 1 Alone He Stands 10/1 co fav
3rd 19 Shesthebiscuit 14/1
4th 8 Fleeting Moment 20/1
23 Ran NR's 5 & 26
Distances 1 1/4 , 2 & 1
Favs at 10/1
Second
11 Rock Exhibition (Upl)
17 Lime Tree Valley (Upl)
Tote
Win £57.50
Place £5.00 £2.70 £3.40 £7.90
Exacta £185.80
CSF £341.81
Tricast £4,917.75
Time 1' 44.39"

5:15

1st 22 Turin Lady 20/1
2nd 5 Ebashan 6/4 fav
3rd 20 Izgonawin 14/1
23 Ran NR 21
Distances 3/4 & 1 1/2
Fav Second
Tote
Win £43.10
Place £9.10 £1.10 £4.00 £1.40
Exacta £557.70
CSF £52.09
Time